Fractal plasmonic surface reader antennas

• US 9,965,663 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2017
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fractal Antenna Systems Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fractal Antenna Systems Inc.
• Inventors: Cohen, Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eustaquio, Cal
• Application Number:
  US15/804,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20180060624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 183 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0709 the source being an interrogation field
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10158 methods and means used by the interrogation device for reliably powering the wireless record carriers using an electromagnetic interrogation field
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10178 including auxiliary means for focusing, repeating or boosting the electromagnetic interrogation field comparable booster antennas integrated on the record carrier itself G06K19/07794
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/006 Selective devices having photonic band gap materials or materials of which the material properties are frequency dependent, e.g. perforated substrates, high-impedance surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/0093 having a fractal shape

Abstract

Plasmonic-surface antenna systems are described in which resonators, or cells, are closely arranged but do not touch. At least a portion of a radiating surface includes a plurality of cells (operative as resonators) placed very close together to one so that a surface (plasmonic) wave causes near replication of the current of one cell in an adjacent cell. Cells with one or more fractal shapes may be used as a fractal plasmonic surface (FPS). Systems and/or methods are described of using plasmonic surfaces or fractal plasmonic surfaces for radiofrequency identification (RFID). A PS or FPS may act as an intermediary array of antennas, which can serve to connect an RFID reader with one or more RFID tags. Structures including cages are described that can include one or more surfaces that are each an FPS. Methods of power transfer are described.

Claims

1. A fractal plasmonic surface radio frequency identification system, the system comprising:

a plurality of close packed fractal cells disposed on a supporting surface disposed on one face of the plurality of faces, wherein a sub-plurality of fractal cells are disposed along edges of the one face, wherein each fractal cell includes a fractal shape defining an electrical resonator, wherein the plurality of fractal cells are positioned sufficiently close to one another to support plasmonic transfer of energy between the fractal cells, and wherein the plurality of close packed cells are not galvanically connected to one another; and

at least one RFID tag configured for application to an animal placed;

wherein the resonator system is operative as a reader antenna for the RFID system to both receive RF energy from and transmit RF energy to the at least one RFID tag on the animal and wherein for transferring RF energy during operation, galvanic attachment to the RFID reader is only at the edge at the fractal cells of the sub-plurality of fractal cells.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of fractal cells is activated as a subset and each subset is sequentially activated so as to allow for location of the animal through reading the RFID tag and comparing the power of the received RFID return signal in all the fractal cell subsets.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the location of the animal through reading of the RFID tag is processed on a computer device and displayed.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the location of the animal through reading of the RFID tag is stored and or combined with other biometric data sets to analyze the motility of the animal over time.